Darwin Day Celebration: Luncheon and Lecture

Evolution of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin is one of the most influential books ever written.  Darwin’s work unified the biological sciences and gave humankind an understanding of itself based on science.  Virtually all areas of human knowledge have been impacted by this understanding.   Given this civilization-changing contribution by Darwin, it is fitting that we honor him.   Please join us for our annual Darwin Day celebration.  We will have a delicious luncheon followed by a scientific lecture in honor of Charles Darwin’s birthday.

 THE LECTURE

Recent Human Evolution

Modern Humans that look pretty much like us and with a brain size similar to ours appeared about 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.   However, human evolution has not stopped.   Evolutionary adaptations have permitted humans to occupy and thrive in almost all regions of the Earth.   Dr. Nielsen will discuss how human genetic diversity makes this possible.  While Homo sapiens is the only hominid species that survives today, traces of our extinct cousins can be found in the genes of some modern humans.  As a consequence of interbreeding with humans, these hominids bequeathed genes to some modern humans that enables them to live at high altitudes.  Natural selection of genetic mutations explains how some humans have adapted to survival in extremely cold environments.  Understanding these genetic changes helps us understand how diets beneficial to some humans, may not be healthy for everyone.

 THE LECTURER

Rasmus Nielsen received his Ph.D. from UC-Berkeley in 1998, did postdoctoral research at Harvard University and worked as an assistant professor at Cornell University from 2000-2004.  From 2004 he has been a Professor of Biology at the University of Copenhagen and he joins the faculty at the departments of Integrative Biology and Statistics at Berkeley as an Associate Professor in Jan. 2008.

Rasmus Nielsen’s research focuses on statistical and computational aspects of evolutionary theory and genetics.  One of the central problems he has been interested in is the molecular basis of evolutionary adaptation.  What happens at the molecular levels as one species is transformed into another over evolutionary time?

           THE LUNCHEON

 There will be a nominal charge for the luncheon but the lecture is free.

This event is sponsored by the Humanists and Non Theists of the Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco. Everyone is welcome.